HR has a unique opportunity to reduce the human and financial cost of job injuries even without direct responsibility for workers’ compensation. Many factors not directly related to the actual injury drive lengthy unnecessary absences, job loss, escalating medical issues, and costly staff turnover. Understanding these cost drivers, what employers can and should be doing, and what to expect from their insurance carrier and doctors, the better the employer will be at controlling costs.. Private employers in Texas are not required to carry workers’ compensation insurance but employers who do not have workers’ compensation must still manage job-related injury issues. This session provides tools to significantly reduce workers’ compensation costs and the business costs related to on the job injuries. We examine the impact company culture, supervisor/management skills and socio-economic situations have on costs. Participants will learn to avoid some of the pitfalls faced by employers in getting injured employees back to work after an injury occurs. Learning Objectives: Understand and address the factors driving high injury costs; Develop an improved understanding of workers' compensation; Learn what employers can and should be doing to manage costs.